that I’d admired wooden ironing boards since seeing one at the New York State Fair, but there it was as a wedding present, and we’re still using it 23 years later.


Keith Gatling


King of Kings Lutheran Church, Liverpool, N.Y. A mother’s love


When I was 6 or 7 years old, my par- ents were just starting farming and had very little money. However, I had big wishes. When the Christmas catalog came out, I found a beauti- ful bride doll that I wanted for my Christmas gift. I asked Santa for nothing else. On Christmas morn-


DESIGN PICS


ing my old doll was under the tree dressed in a beautiful bride outfit. My mother, who hated to sew, had made this outfit for my old doll. It wasn’t until I was older that I real- ized just what a precious gift that really was.


Linda Bothwell Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Dubuque, Iowa


Transported back I was 16, seated at the pipe organ in front of the sanctuary of our white, clapboard church in central North Dakota, playing the prelude on Christmas Eve. With one year of piano lessons behind me, I had just become organist that sum- mer when Gladys Preuss retired. A prophetic statement by an elderly, interim pastor one evening when I accompanied singing in the church basement led to my being organist. When I finished playing a hymn, he said, “There is your next organist.” I was given one organ lesson: “Use this stop for preludes, these stops for congregational singing.”


On this bitter cold Christmas Eve, I wore Bonnie Reierson’s black satin


DESIGN PICS


and brocade hand-me-down dress— scooped neck front, very deep “V” in back (too deep for church) and full skirt—and my cousin’s hand-me- down red flats. As I played, I won- dered if my family would even have a Christmas. Christmases were always lean at our house, and this year had been especially hard. I didn’t expect to see any presents under our tree. When the service was over, we raced out to our cold car, hurrying to get out of the bitter wind. We were surprised to find the back seat filled with grocery bags of food and other goodies—gifts from parishioners. There was also a tubular-shaped gift in brown grocery bag wrapping with a red ribbon that was addressed to me. Though not dressed warm enough for that cold winter evening, the ride home never felt more toasty. Our hearts were full of gratitude, thanks to the good people of Trinity Lutheran Church in Esmond, N.D. I clutched my gift close all the way home, later opening it to find the first piece of sheet music I’d ever owned, “Frosty the Snowman,” a


gift from Gladys Preuss. Ilene (Guttromson) Iverson-Olson South Immanuel Lutheran Church, Rothsay, Minn.


Table time


One year we gathered at my sister’s house for a family Christmas din- ner. The previous three years were difficult for us—both my parents and a brother had died after long and difficult illnesses. After dinner we went through the ritual of gift- giving, including a series of gag gifts between my nephew and his uncle. This usually ended with a jar of moldy quince jelly that is passed around from year to year. We sat down for dessert about 8 p.m. and started talking. When we


finally looked at the clock it was 2 a.m. My parents argued a lot and weren’t pleasant to be around. Of all the holidays I’ve had, this one is the one I remember and treasure the most.


Don King


Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.


Sign in, please ...


Shortly after we were married I started asking guests who dined with us to sign and date a plain white permanent press tablecloth. Before washing it, I embroider their signa- ture and date, giving us a permanent record of their visit. The tablecloth became a center of conversation as stories of their visits were explained, friends found signatures of others they knew, and family history was recorded.


In 1996, I purchased tablecloths for our three children (then 13, 17 and 19) and asked all four grandpar- ents to sign and add their wedding dates. I embroidered the signatures, and on Christmas morning gave


If you’re invited to Larry and Carol Brudnicki’s home in Enfield, N.H., for a meal, you’ll likely have the chance to sign the tablecloth—a tradition and gift that the family cherishes.


For a study guide, see page 26. December 2011 21


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